Vermont Democrats are accusing Republican Gov. Phil Scott of using his constitutional appointment power to shift the ideological balance of the Legislature in his favor.
When the governor needed to find a replacement for Democratic Rep. Bob Hooper, who resigned last month amid allegations of sexual harassment, one of his staff reached out to a well-known Republican — former Burlington Rep. Kurt Wright — in search of suggestions.
“Everybody knows the governor is a very centrist Republican, and he is not going to appoint somebody who seems to be coming from the farther left side of the party,” Wright said.
When a sitting lawmaker steps down, state law directs the local committee of that legislator’s party to send a list of nominees to the governor to replace them. Though not required, governors generally appoint someone of the same party as the departing lawmaker — and usually from the party’s list.
Wright, however, told Vermont Public that the governor and his team were “not entirely thrilled” with the names put forth by the Burlington Democratic Committee — Amy Bielawski-Branch, Jim Holway and Elizabeth Krumholz.
Last week, Scott instead went with Wright’s suggestion, appointing retired Burlington Police Chief Kevin Scully, who told Vermont Public he is a conservative Democrat. The governor’s decision to bypass the names forwarded by Democrats has riled state and local party leaders and reignited a debate about how much discretion the governor should have in filling open seats.
“He is putting his stamp on a seat that I think the community should really have the most control over.”Liam O'Sullivan, House campaign director, Vermont Democratic Party
Liam O’Sullivan, House campaign director of the Vermont Democratic Party, said Scott chose to buck bipartisan historical norms in favor of a “completely political decision.”
“He is putting his stamp on a seat that I think the community should really have the most control over.” O’Sullivan said. “The result is having someone in the building … that isn’t reflecting the actual values of those folks.”
Jason Maulucci, director of policy development and legislative affairs for Scott, is the staffer who called Wright in search of alternative names.
“We always are calling people we know who live in the area asking for ideas or recommendations or feedback … to do our due diligence,” he said.
Over the course of his five terms in office, Scott has appointed more than 25 lawmakers to fill legislative vacancies.
“Not once have we ever asked them to commit to a certain policy position as a condition of appointment,” Maulucci said.
Maulucci noted that the governor also went off-list for a recent Republican appointee.
It’s not the first time Scott has upset party officials with his appointments — in 2024, Progressive leaders cried foul when he appointed a Democrat to replace Progressive Rep. Emma Mulvaney-Stanak, who was elected Burlington’s mayor.
Maulucci said that decision was based on the fact that Mulvaney-Stanak had run in the Democratic primary.
When selecting Hooper’s replacement, Maulucci said Scott was looking for someone “who was trusted in the community and could hit the ground running and has the respect of the people they’ll be representing.”
“And I don’t think anyone can question Chief Scully’s character, service record,” he said.
One of Scully’s first votes last week was on the House’s controversial education reform bill. Scott has threatened to veto the bill, saying it doesn’t do nearly enough to streamline education governance.
Scully voted in favor of the bill. And he said neither the governor nor anyone on his staff asked him any questions during the appointment process about how he’d vote on specific issues.
“No one influenced me,” Scully said. “I made it clear to everyone I need to have my own thoughts, my own path to walk.”
